EP21: Upcoming Poultry Events and NFU Board Changes

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings take a slightly lighter approach this week, but there’s still plenty of business in the mix.They start with a quick catch‑up, a livestock update from Tom’s small sheep flock, and a chance encounter with the “poet of Paddington” who delivers an impromptu chicken-themed poem on the station concourse.The main focus is on what’s coming up for UK poultry producers over the winter: key conferences, dinners and technical meetings that shape discussion in both the egg and broiler sectors. They also talk about the value of these regional events as a barometer for confidence in the industry – and where the mood feels to be as 2025 draws to a close.Tom and Tom explain a new charity auction prize for the South West Chicken Association Christmas dinner: the chance to guest‑edit an episode of the Poultry Network podcast. The winner will be able to choose the topic and guests, with the team doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes.The episode closes with an important bit of governance news: NFU Poultry Board chair James Mottershead has stepped down, with vice chair Will Raw stepping in on an interim basis. The hosts reflect on the workload that comes with NFU roles and the value of members who give up time alongside running their own farms and businesses.In this episode:Welsh housing order now in place Key dates for the diary: BFREPA Live, regional dinners and the Northern Broiler ConferenceHow the “guest editor” podcast auction prize will workNFU Poultry Board leadership change and what it means for representation